For Immediate Release
October 19, 2005
Contact: Romney Snyder
949-854-8700, ext. 307
Romney@abilitymagazine.com
Photos available upon request

ABILITY House Receives $1.4 Million to Launch Initiatives Focusing on College Students and Veterans with Disabilities

Corporation for National & Community Service and HP Join
ABILITY Awareness and ABILITY Magazine in Building Homes and Awareness

  Costa Mesa, Calif. — With $1.4 million of new federal and corporate backing, the ABILITY House program is announcing the launch of two new initiatives: the ABILITY House College Students with Disabilities Initiative (AHCSDI) and the ABILITY House Veterans with Disabilities Initiative (AHVDI). The ABILITY House program works with ABILITY Magazine and Habitat for Humanity to build accessible homes for low-income families where one or more members have disabilities. Additionally, this award-winning program engages volunteers with mental and physical disabilities to help build the homes.

As students with disabilities prepare to enter the job market, they need to show employers not only academic success, but also job skills and experience. A financial and technology contribution from HP is making possible a vital, innovative new program. The AHCSDI uses the assistance of colleges' disabled student services centers to help students with disabilities connect with their local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to participate in ABILITY House projects. Through this collaboration, students with disabilities gain experience and skills through a number of Habitat-coordinated activities such as fundraising, building on a construction site, public relations and community outreach. ABILITY Awareness, the parent organization of the ABILITY House program, assists with each of these tasks and provides training for students.

“This is not just about building houses but also about building the skills and potential of the student participants,” said Michael Takemura, director of HP's Accessibility Program Office. “HP is deeply committed to the accessibility of information and technology, and we've been a proud partner with ABILITY House since its very beginning. The College Students with Disabilities initiative is truly an innovative program that will highlight the professionalism, skills and talents that students with disabilities possess, and bring real-world job opportunities within their reach.”

HP equipped the first ABILITY House with accessible HP computers and printers, and HP employee volunteers contributed their expertise to the program.

Recognizing the profound impact an ABILITY House build makes in the community, the Corporation for National and Community Service has provided a three-year capacity-building grant to support expansion of the ABILITY House program through the college and veterans initiatives. In announcing the award, David Eisner, CEO of the CNCS, said, “Too often we think of people with disabilities as recipients of services, without recognizing their extraordinary capacity to improve the lives of others. The grants awarded today will support the best programs in the country that are providing encouragement and opportunity for more Americans with disabilities—particularly veterans and young people—to answer the President's call to service and help meet pressing needs in their communities.”

To reach veterans with disabilities as volunteers, ABILITY will work with various organizations dedicated to the rehabilitation, employment and support of service-connected veterans with disabilities. ABILITY will also assist local Habitat for Humanity affiliates by working with these organizations to identify potential homeowners.

“The support we are receiving from HP and the CNCS will be crucial in bringing more volunteering opportunities to young people with disabilities and to our veterans, especially those who have acquired disabilities as a result of their service in Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Gillian Friedman, MD, executive director of ABILITY Awareness. “All too often when people acquire a disability their identity and value to the community is challenged. The benefits of participating in an ABILITY House build are two-fold: not only do people receive the intrinsic rewards that come from volunteering, but they—and the community—realize that they are still very capable and valuable individuals.”

About ABILITY Awareness

ABILITY Awareness is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through housing, education, employment, media and volunteer opportunities. The ABILITY House is the hallmark program of ABILITY Awareness, demonstrating the potential of every person and empowering communities with a new level of awareness. In acknowledgment of the program's impact in the community, Chet Cooper, ABILITY Awareness' founder, was presented by President George W. Bush with the President's Community Volunteer Award, the nation's highest recognition for volunteer service. For more information on the ABILITY House program, visit abilityhouse.com.

About ABILITY Magazine